Why He’d Do it Again in a Minute

Charles Margosian ’98 (Charley) now has his own house in Naperville, Illinois with a wife and two young daughters, but he remembers his days at 219 S. 36th Street fondly.

In the years that followed, Charley’s career path gave him firsthand knowledge of what it takes to maintain—and help ensure others can enjoy—a historic property like the AXP house. As a real estate developer, Charley has worked on plenty of similar projects, but none have meant as much or contributed as much to his life as the famous old house near Penn’s Van Pelt Library.

It’s why he donated to the Centennial Capital Campaign to help guarantee more generations of AXP members the opportunity to experience the same diverse environment in which to learn, grow, and socialize.

“As a freshman, I walked into AXP and thought ‘This is what a fraternity house should be,’” he recalls. “I want future generations of AXP Brothers to appreciate our place on campus and enjoy the building.”

Charley’s mind can easily map his old routes across and through town. One of his favorite places to settle down was the Palladium.

“I always enjoyed the Palladium on a warm spring day,” Charley says. “It was a fun place to have cocktails with brothers. There were always a few brothers who thought we were going to grow up and be Gordon Gekko and we’d sit and play Liar’s Poker while we had beers and Kenn Kweder was bartending.”

A stop at Cavanaugh’s would usually await, too. “The pitchers were always a good deal, mainly because a bunch of AXP Brothers were bartenders there my senior year,” Charley recalls.

He also recalls enjoying his college experience with a very diverse group of brothers.

“Our pledge class had brothers from all over the world, different religious backgrounds, and different upbringings,” he says. “It really was reflective of the campus as a whole. I also think we always had the most fun! I’ll never forget looking forward to simple little things like Sunday night house meetings or watching the Simpsons together during the afternoons. I also remember sitting in the Chapter Hall with Brothers watching CNBC as the Dow Crossed 5,000!”

Today, when he’s not working or spending time with his family, Charley can be found rooting for his favorite sports teams. He’s had a lot to cheer for with the success of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Cubs’ long-overdue World Series win in 2016.

In a way, future AXP Brothers will be indebted to Charley’s favorite baseball team. He offered to double his pledge to the house if the Cubs broke their more than 100-year-old drought without a World Series title.

“We all know how that went,” he says, “so I doubled my pledge and I’d do it again in a minute! Some of my best friends in life came from AXP and the Chapter Hall.”

Want to get in touch with Charley? You can reach him at cmargosi@aol.com, or he invites any AXP Brothers to look him up when they are in Chicago to catch a Cubs game at the Friendly Confines.

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